Through the Thicket
by mamatria
Summary: Chapter 2&3 are up! The light from the sunset painted the story teller's silhouette a striking red. Okita's empty stare bore into Heiji's memory as the next words were spoken.
1. Chapter 1

**Through the Thicket**

**Disclaimer: **I am likely to own Detective Conan and/or Magic Kaito as I am likely to be a middle-aged Japanese man. However, since this _is_ the internet, that's actually a possibility...

* * *

Heiji was vaguely aware of the wind whizzing past his ears. He shivered. God it was cold. Had he left the window open?

The male teen shifted and pulled his pillow closer to him. _Ahhh_. It was so warm and soft. He snuggled closer to it. Suddenly, he felt like he was being thrown into the air, jolted from the warmth of his bedding.

**_CRASH_**

The next thing he knew, he was kissing the ground. Nothing like a mouthful of dirt to start your day.

Wait...dirt?

Heiji bolted upright and looked around. Foreign trees loomed over him as a chilly wind blew. He certainly wasn't in his room anymore. Or his house. Or Osaka for that matter. He also had a very bad inkling that this wasn't even Japan anymore. It seemed like he was in some kind of forest. Before he could panic further, the sound of a foot tapping on the soft earth made him turn around.

His eyes trailed up from his seat on the ground. He saw brown riding boots that went up to the knees, black pants, a bright red jacket over a white tube top, and the face of a very very angry Kazuha.

"K-Kazuha," Heiji managed to spit out. The ponytailed girl's anger suddenly faded, giving way to surprise and then suspicion.

"Who exactly are you and how do you know my name?" the girl demanded.

"What do you mean?" Heiji cocked an eyebrow. "It's me, Heiji! Your best friend! The Great Detective of the West? Hattori Heiji, come _on_!" Honestly, how could Kazuha forget him? What was the ahou trying to pull this time?

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm... We haven't heard of any detectives dropping by," she muttered to herself. She looked at him again and frowned, a tinge of pink creeping up her cheeks for some reason. "I don't believe you," she told him in a steely voice.

Heiji was too dumbfounded to speak. The silence lasted for two seconds before he exploded. "Whattdya _mean_ you don't believe me? Where the heck am I anyway? I wake up and then I'm being hurled to the ground! And now YOU go have amnesia on me! What are ya wearing anyway?"

The girl clutched her crimson jacket defensively, a vein throbbing on her head. "You ungrateful little... I happened to _rescue you _when you fell out of the sky! And then we were riding back to the kingdom and you- you- _groped _me! You pervert! We could've both died!" She was almost as red as her jacket as she ranted. "And look at yourself, why dontcha, before talking about my clothes."

Heiji blushed furiously. "I- I thought you were my pillow!" he managed to stammer. The boy looked down and found that he was only wearing a pair of jeans. How'd he get here without a shirt or any shoes? What in the world was happening?

He looked up and saw the girl striding towards a black motorcycle. He jogged up as she was putting on her helmet.

"Kazuha? Since when did you get a bike?" he asked her incredulously.

She returned his stare with a stern gaze. "Look, I mistook you for someone else okay? And I'm pretty sure I'm not this Kazuha person you're looking for either. I'll even let it slide that you physically harassed me back there. Just don't go falling out of the sky anymore."

Heiji gaped. How could she even say such things like people happened to fall from the sky on a day-to-day basis?

"But you _are _Kazuha. I called you Kazuha then you asked me how I knew your name. That just proves it," Heiji said confidently. At least going into detective mode felt normal...even if he was half-naked talking to his childhood friend (who conveniently didn't remember him) in the middle of the woods.

The girl considered him for a moment before revving her engine. "Okay, Hattori-kun was it?" Heiji flinched at the formality. "I'm in a hurry, but I can give you directions to the nearest doctor," she told him and pointed to a spot between some trees. "Go through there and keep going straight til you see a yellow brick road. It'll take you to The Emerald City and-"

"Hold on," interrupted Heiji. "The Emerald City? Like the one in the Oz story?"

The girl cut off her bike and turned to glare him. "What do you mean story?"

Heiji was used to Kazuha's glares. After almost 19 years of being stuck with her, he's practically grown immune to it. But there was something off-putting with the way _this _girl glowered at him. Her eyes were hard and full of pain, very much unlike to the tender and expression filled eyes of Kazuha. Heiji felt his insides freeze. He was starting to believe that this really wasn't his childhood friend.

"The book report we had to do for English class?" he supplied, wishing desperately for her to recognize the past assignment.

She frowned, eyes watching him like a cat. "Where are you from?" she asked him slowly, cautiously.

"Osaka, Japan!" Heiji replied. "Where _am _I?" _This has got to be a dream, _he thought. "Am I dreaming?" he echoed his thoughts aloud. "I've got to be dreaming!"

The girl stiffened at this. "You're a Dreamer?" she asked wide-eyed but Heiji was too busy trying to pinch himself awake.

"Ow! Crap that hurt!" He paused to study the red mark on his arm. "That hurt... I'm not waking up," alarm was creeping into his voice. "I- What-" Heiji turned to the girl still mounted on the motorcycle, disbelief written all over his face. "The hell's going on?"

The ponytailed girl buried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated sigh. "Lucky me, I stumble upon a Dreamer!" her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Get on," she commanded him. "Let's get this quest over with."

* * *

The pair trudged their way through heaps of fallen leaves. It had gotten too dangerous to use the motorcycle as they reached the thickest part of the woods. This left Kazuha2 to push her vehicle beside her (she wouldn't let Heiji touch it).

Heiji had started calling her that in his head after she had shed some light on things. Apparently, he's been transported to this place where characters from stories lived.

_"We're only stories where YOU come from, but here we're real people," _she snorted when he called them 'fairy tale characters'.

From what Kazuha2 said, people get lost here on the way to Dreamland and are adequately called Dreamers. Whenever a Dreamer shows up,the person who finds them is bound to a quest to help the Dreamer return to their world. It was some kind of ancient rule or whatever.

So here was the Great Detective of the West, lost in some bizarre world made up of fictional characters who happened to be not so fictional after all. Heiji had been clinging on to the possibility that this was still a dream but eventually let it go. He was sure his subconscious could _never _come up with crack like this.

They continued to walk in silence. Any hopes of conversation died after the explanation given by Kazuha2.

"Oi. If you're characters in my world, who are you supposed to be? I don't remember any stories with a motorcycle," Heiji said, trying to banish the uncomfortable silence. He just wasn't used to the quiet when Kazuha was around... Even if this girl wasn't actually Kazuha, just a fiercer, motorcycle-driving alter ego.

Kazuha2 scoffed. "Like I would know. Your versions are usually sugar-coated," she said with distaste. "But I'm known as Red Rider in some parts of the kingdom. I'm a bounty hunter," she grinned at him wickedly.

To his credit, Heiji looked unfazed. He had his chin in his hand and was contemplating on something. The silence settled back in as they walked on. It lasted for seven minutes until Heiji broke out laughing.

"W-what's wrong with you?" Kazuha2 asked her companion. The boy was practically having a fit.

Heiji took a moment to calm down but was still chuckling. "You're Little Red Riding Hood!" he declared then started cackling again.

* * *

A very annoyed Kazuha2 marched towards the main square of the village while a slightly bruised Heiji followed.

"Kazuha or not, she's just as violent," he muttered darkly.

They were now entering what seemed like a medieval-age bar. Inside, however, was like a horrible clash of genres. There were cowboys sitting at a corner, talking animals playing cards at a table, knights taking a swig of beer, and a samurai passed out on the counter. Kazuha2 skillfully maneuvered her way to the far end of the room. Heiji, on the other hand, had to dodge knives thrown by elves playing darts, avoid stepping on about 15 blind mice (several had robot eyes), and sidestep this purple shadow that he was sure was following him. When he finally caught up with the girl in red, she was talking animatedly to a weirdly dressed man. He looked like Kudo. No wait. He looked like...

"Okita?" Heiji blurted out.

"Seems like he knows you too," Kazuha2 smirked.

"Hey, Zuha. Where's his shirt?" teased Okita.

Kazuha2 rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. I found him like that; that's why I brought him here. Anyway can you give him some clothes?"

"Alright, I've got some back in the castle. What would you do without me?" jibed the man as he replaced his feathered hat.

Heiji was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He had been eyeing the conversation between Kazuha2 and Okita. For some reason, it made him furious.

_Well whatever. She's not my Kazuha anyway, _he told himself.

Wait.

_My _Kazuha? The the hell was he thinking?

He didn't own Kazuha! And the ahou can go talk to anyone she wants for all he cared. Which he didn't. Of course not.

"I think your little Dreamer's getting impatient," commented Okita. A menacing aura had been permeating from the shirtless teen. The musketeer's comment drew said teen's attention.

"Who are ya supposed to be anyway?" Heiji barked.

"Okita Soshi, royal musketeer, at your service." With that, Okita made a purposely elaborate bow to which Kazuha2 laughed at.

_Keh_. Heiji was going to be sick. This Okita was even worse than the one he knew. (And it had nothing to do with him being all friendly and chummy and flirty with someone that resembled Kazuha, alright?)

"Don't tell me," Heiji said in a bored tone. "You're part of the three musketeers?"

Okita looked at him with an odd expression. "Well, something like that," the musketeer grinned which reminded Heiji of a certain moonlight magician.

_Uh-oh. _Heiji had a really bad feeling about this.

* * *

**A/N: **I probably should be working on _Dumb Ways to Die _or the other chapter stories I never got around posting let alone finishing...but here ya go :D (Somehow, watching 3 Barbie movies straight on TV led to this...so yeah.)

Okita Soshi is actually a character from Yaiba. He was mentioned in DC as Heiji's rival in Kendo. He's from Senshin High School and looks like Shinichi!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **In which Heiji is graced with clothes, new friends, and more things to deal with.

**Disclaimer: **I am likely to own Detective Conan and/or Magic Kaito as I am likely to be a middle-aged Japanese man. However, since this _is_ the internet, that's actually a possibility...

* * *

Heiji found himself in a large throne room, every inch of it decorated with elegant marble. The pillars were marble, the statues were marble, the floor was marble, and the dark skinned teen was still lacking a shirt and shoes. He was probably going to get pneumonia after this.

Three pairs of blue eyes gazed at him from three identical faces with amusingly different expressions. Heiji could easily tell who was who.

Okita was on the left and had a lazy smile plastered on his face. "This is Zuha's new quest. Her very own Dreamer, Hattori Heiji," he announced. "It seems like he knows you two from his world."

The one in the middle had a calculating look on him, as if he were assessing the dark skinned teen. Heiji knew exactly who he was before the man stuck out his hand and they exchanged a firm handshake. "Kudo Shinichi, royal musketeer."

Heiji smirked. "Funny, thought you'd be a detective here too."

The messy haired man on the right ruffled Shinichi's hair. "Actually, Shin-chan _was_ Sherlock for a while when Hakuba became the White Knight." He then gave an elegant bow. "Kuroba Kaito, at your service. Royal musketeer and resident lady killer."

That last part brought about a round of snorts from Heiji and the other two musketeers.

"Shouldnt it be resident cross dresser?" came a female voice.

Kaito turned around and smiled. "Aoko, my lady. Always a pleasure," the man bowed again. A girl with equally ruffled hair huffed and marched past him, only to get the skirt of her blue dress flipped.

"KAITOOOO!"

Said musketeer was now bouncing around while a flushed Aoko gave chase with a bejeweled mop.

Heiji observed the scene and an unexpected smile spread across his face. It was a little comforting that some things in this world were similar to his normal life. The only person that was different was Kazuha2.

For some reason, the Osakan detective missed arguing with a certain ponytailed girl.

"Oi," the half-naked teen called out to the two musketeers. "I'd love to give you guys a show all day but I'm kinda freezing here."

Okita smirked. "Who'd want to see a lousy show anyway?"

"That's a bit strange. Dreamers are always clothed when they wind up here," mused Shinichi. "Oh, I think we have some spare uniforms back in our room."

Heiji _expertly_ declined by laughing out loud. "Sorry, Kudo. But I don't think I can pull off the stupid costume any more than you and Okita."

"Well you're not really doing anyone a favor by going around with _that _look," Shinichi shot back. "I've got casual clothes too."

Heiji raised his eyebrows. "No thanks. If you had a terrible fashion sense back home, you probably have a worse one here." The Osakan flicked the poofy feather on the musketeer's hat. "Who designed these anyway?"

Shinichi pinched his nose bridge in frustration and turned to his fellow musketeer. "Okita, you go help the ungrateful bastard. I'm going off to see Ran." With those lovely parting words, he stalked out of the room.

Heiji's chuckles stopped short when he noticed Okita leaving the room too.

"Oi!" he called out. "Where are ya going?

Okita didn't look back as he gave a halfhearted wave. "To go kill the designer of our uniforms," the musketeer said languidly.

The swordsman left the Kansai detective in the throne room, the latter grumbling about musketeers with no sense of humor.

* * *

Heiji was glad to finally have some decent clothes on. Not to mention shoes! All that walking gave him hundreds of scratches and blisters, no doubt.

He inspected himself one last time before heading back into the warzone that was the throne room. Kaito had still been dodging Aoko (Heiji gave him some credit for surviving that long) when he lent Heiji some clothes.

Good thing Kaito had a vast collection of disguises from every era to chose from. Heiji settled on a black shirt, denim pants, and some comfy trainers. Unfortunately he couldn't find any baseball caps in Kaito's stack of hats, but before going out, he decided to grab a green jacket.

He was making his way back into the throne room when he heard voices around the corner. Curious, Heiji slowly crept to the edge of the hallway and decided to listen. (It wasn't eavesdropping, it was investigating!)

"Don't worry about it, Ran! I'm sure she can take care of herself," said a female voice. "Plus, a little romance her with Dreamer wouldn't hurt either!"

"Sonoko..." said Ran. "I don't think Kazuha-chan's ready for that. After everything that happened to her..."

It sounded like Sonoko sighed. "I know. Her prince and all. Alright, I'll keep tabs on her. Leave it to the golden heiress!"

"Thank you, Sonoko," came Ran's soft voice.

Heiji backed up when he heard their approaching footsteps. He pretended to have just left the musketeers' room when he met them.

"Oi! Neechan, Suzuki-han," Heiji greeted.

"Ah, Hattori-kun, right? I hope you find your way home soon," said Ran. "Uhm, what did you call me?"

Heiji belatedly remembered that this wasn't the Mouri Ran he knew. "Oh, someone from my world looks like you and I call her Neechan. Hope ya don't mind," he told her with a sheepish grin.

"OOOH! Who am I in your world?" asked the girl with golden curls.

"You're the Suzuki zaibatsu heiress."

The golden haired girl looked pleased. "Do I have a boyfriend? What does he look like?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Sonoko!" lightly admonished Ran.

Heiji struggled to remember what Kazuha told him a few months ago. The girl had been rambling about Sonoko's new boyfriend or something. What did she say again? The guy was...

"Tall, dark, and handsome or whatever. Dunno his name," Heiji replied with a shrug.

Sonoko made a dramatic sigh and clasped both of her hands together. "He sounds like a dream!" The girl then narrowed her eyes at him. "YOU wouldn't happen to be him, would you?" she asked him with a wag of her eyebrows.

Heiji flailed his arms around, denying the claim.

"Sonoko!" Ran said exasperated. "Don't mind her; she tried locking herself in a tower to see if her prince would come."

"But being Rapunzel was so fun! The hair was so hard to manage though," said Sonoko. "Anyway, I'm now the golden heiress of Lockheart! But if you ever call me 'Goldie', I'll have you executed," she added seriously.

"Okay then," sweatdropped Heiji. "So what's your story, Neechan?" he turned to Ran.

It took the brunette a moment to register that he was talking to her. "Sorry, I'm not really used to 'Neechan' yet, but I don't mind!" she told him. "But, what do you mean by story?"

"He's asking you about your life, basically. Remember? Dreamers always have these twisted versions of our lives?" Sonoko said.

Heiji promptly rolled his eyes at the 'twisted' comment. How come he's the weirdo here when everyone's dressed in frilly get-ups?

"Well," the voice of Ran snapped Heiji out of his silent fuming. "I'm the long lost princess of this kingdom. Aoko is my sister but I was separated from my family long ago. I liked to go out dressed as a villager when I was young-"

"Who does that anyway?" joked Sonoko. Ran laughed before continuing.

"It was my fault really. The next thing I knew, I was in a cart going to Lockheart! And I met Sonoko and we've been best friends ever since!

"I brought Ran along to one of the balls here and then she met Aoko," continued Sonoko. "We were halfway back to Lockheart when I realized Ran switched places with the princess!"

"Sorry, Sonoko. It was Kuroba-kun's idea. We thought it would be funny."

"Yeah well, because of that you found your way back home," Sonoko winked.

The two girls laughed as they entered the throne room. Heiji followed behind them and found himself feeling empty.

When the hell was he going to get some breakfast?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **In which there is food, much debate, and a story.

**Disclaimer: **I am likely to own Detective Conan and/or Magic Kaito as I am likely to be a middle-aged Japanese man. However, since this _is_ the internet, that's actually a possibility...

* * *

It was almost midday when everyone gathered at the round table. (Yes, the place had an actual round table like the one from that story.) Moving on.

It was decided that Kazuha2 and Heiji consult a witch. The matter of debate now was _which _witch they should ask for help. Heiji was beginning to wonder how many witches there were in this blasted place. Apparently, too many.

"The witch of the East helped the last Dreamer, surely she'll help Hattori-kun," said Ran.

"But it's only been three days since then. We have to wait for a month before we can ask her any more requests, remember?" Shinichi said.

"How bout the Godmother?" proposed Okita.

"No. No fairies," Kaito answered immediately. "There's always a catch with them."

"Not to mention you pissed one off last week," added Aoko. Kaito just grinned at her.

"The sea witch?"

"It'll take us a week to find her cove!"

"Then the white sorcerer?"

"That old pervert will only help female Dreamers."

Heiji was beginning to fall asleep; his hand was cradling his chin as he tried to fight his eyelids from drooping. This had been going on for almost half an hour when Kaito spoke again.

"Akako," he said in an ominous voice.

The room suddenly quieted down.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Shinichi.

Kaito nodded. "I know she's new around here, but I haven't heard anything bad about her yet."

"Yet," repeated Shinichi. "I hear she converses with Lucifer."

"That's got to be a red flag," said Okita warily.

"What are her terms?" asked Kazuha2.

"What? You can't be serious," said Shinichi. "We're not even sure of we can trust her!"

Kazuha2 shot him an icy glare. "Quit worrying about me, I can take care of myself and the Dreamer."

"Don't be an idiot, Zuha," protested Okita. "I'm going with you."

"Me too!" piped Ran. "And Shinichi!" the brunette volunteered.

"I'll be fine!" exclaimed the girl in crimson. "I'm not a fragile princess anymore!"

Heiji gaped at the unsettling scene before him. This wasn't how things were like back home. Their friends never ganged up on Kazuha- it was usually him and her arguing about trivial matters. Their shouting matches were practically second nature. What was happening now was wrong. It made him feel tense and defensive.

Alter ego or not, Heiji didn't like seeing Kazuha being backed into a corner. He could see the hidden fear in her eyes- those green eyes that he knew so well back in his world. The dark skinned teen clenched his fists.

"OI!" Heiji stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "Get off her back, will ya? We'll take our chances with the Akako witch, okay? Looks like she's our best shot and it's better than sitting around fighting over it."

All eyes turned to him and he met each one with an unwavering glare. Even if this Akako person turned out to be dangerous,_ like hell_ he'll let anything happen to Kazuha2.

**_growl..._**

Heiji's eyes were reduced to dots as his stomach grumbled. The air of seriousness evaporated in an instant as laughter rang through the throne room.

The Osakan teen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah... I haven't really eaten yet."

Ran suddenly got up and apologized. "My sincerest apologies for our inhospitality, Hattori-kun. I'll ask for a feast to be prepared."

"Let's all move to the dining hall, shall we?" suggested Aoko.

The two princesses lead the way out of the room and to a very grand dining hall. A giant chandelier sparkled 30 feet above them. Numerous paintings hung on the walls and intricate ice sculptures graced every corner. The one thing that seemed out of place was the crude stone table in the middle of the room.

Before Heiji could ask, Kazuha2 answered him. "Before, most discussions were done here while eating and some people would get carried away during an argument," she recited in a bored tone.

"We already had 57 tables wrecked so we decided to get the strongest stone table in the kingdom," sighed Aoko. "We're trying to limit meetings at the round table for now."

"This is definitely different from our fairytales," laughed Heiji. Then he turned his head to Kazuha2, "Oi, what was that about you being a princess?"

He felt Aoko stiffen as the crimson clad girl said slowly through gritted teeth, "That's none of your business." and stalked away.

A confused Heiji looked at Aoko for answers. "It's a long story," the messy haired princess told him. "I don't know all the details and it's not my place to tell you, Hattori-kun. Sorry..."

"White again today, Aoko?" came Kaito's voice from under Aoko's dress. The princess blushed and proceeded to chase after the musketeer.

Okita suddenly appeared beside Heiji and sighed. "I tell him that I have to talk to you and he goes and does _that_. Trust Kuroba to find any excuse to drive the princess up the wall."

Heiji raised an eyebrow at his new companion. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I heard you were interested in Kazu-"

"We're just childhood friends! We're not going out or anything! The ahou just follows me everywhere!" Heiji blurted out automatically.

"-ha's back story," finished Okita.

"Oh," the dark skinned boy blinked. "Yeah. The princess thing, right."

The musketeer clapped him on the shoulder. "Maybe you should eat first. I think the shock's getting to you."

* * *

The Osakan teen was happily stuffing his face with his 3rd helping of turkey when Sonoko burst into the room, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"I found her!" the golden haired girl proclaimed. "I found Akako-sama's castle!"

There was a clatter of cutlery as Kazuha2 immediately stood up. "Where is it? Is it far?"

"This kind of information doesn't come free, you know..." said Sonoko slyly.

"Sonoko..." Ran sweatdropped.

"I'll help you find a prince if you tell me," replied Kazuha. In an instant, the golden heiress brightened.

"East from here, past the Isle of Youth, up the 2nd mountain, and three days worth of travel," Sonoko recited gleefully.

As the starry-eyed blonde went off chanting 'tall-dark-and-handsome! tall-dark-and-handsome!', Heiji looked up from the pile of food on his plate.

"Oi, when are we leaving?" he asked the bounty hunter.

She turned to him with cold, determined eyes. But for a moment, those green orbs seemed to have softened; there was a flash of innocence and longing. Heiji lost himself in them, almost forgetting that they weren't his childhood friend's eyes- just a stranger's who looked like her.

Kazuha2 tore her gaze away. "First thing tomorrow. Be ready by dawn." With that, she left the dining hall.

* * *

It was dark. Heiji was wandering around, trying to feel his way through the blanket of shadows. This was becoming a pain. He'd been searching for too long. Just then, something glowed in the distance. Heiji ran towards it, pushing his legs to carry him faster.

He stretched one hand out trying to reach her. He was shouting now.

_"Kazuha!" _

_"Kazuha, wait!"_

The light was drawing further away from him. The distance between them increased tenfold in an instant.

_"Turn around, dammit!"_

His chest throbbed. His muscles were tired. His voice was wavering.

_"Don't leave me..."_

**_THUD_**

Heiji blinked. _What the... Did I fall asleep? _he wondered. The boy gave a sigh of relief. _It was just a dream. _

He rolled over in his bed and pulled the covers away from Kaito.

The Osakan sprang out of bed and backed up to the wall. _What's Kuroba doing in my house?_

"Thought you'd never wake up."

Heiji turned to see Okita cleaning his sword from the bed across. A ridiculous feathered hat sat beside the musketeer. The recent events came flooding back to him with the force of a cold waterfall. Crap. He hadn't been dreaming this up after all.

"You got everything you need for tomorrow?" Okita asked without looking up.

Heiji let out an enormous yawn. "I didn't really come here with anything," he shrugged. "Guess I do."

In a flash, Okita had his sword at Heiji's throat. The detective barely managed to step back in his drowsy state.

"Take this seriously," the armed man warned. "If Zuha gets hurt during the quest, I'll send your body back in shreds."

Heiji smirked and leaned in closer to meet Okita's eyes, the flesh of his neck grazing the blade. "Nothing'll ever happen to Kazuha as long as she's with me."

They glared at each other for a second longer before Okita smirked back and lowered his sword. The musketeer sat on his bed while Heiji leaned against the wall. The swordsman continued to polish the blade.

"There was a witch who fell in love with a nobleman," began Okita suddenly. "The nobleman was young and reckless, so he tactlessly rejected the witch. The witch then, cast a spell on him. The man became so grotesque and the only way to break the curse was to have someone fall in love with him. If he failed to do so within a thousand days, he would turn into ashes.

"The man-turned-monster struggled to find someone who could truly love him, but no one dared to go near him. He was only left with a few loyal servants and his brother."

Okita paused to let out a breath. Heiji listened intently as the swordsman spoke again. "The brother brought in a princess from a far away kingdom. The girl listened to the nobleman's laments and slowly began to care for him though she never saw him. After seven months, the princess returned to her kingdom. When the 500th day of his curse arrived, the man resorted to bribing women to see him, hoping they would learn to love him. His wealth dwindled after that and the last of his servants abandoned him. Eventually, his brother died from grief.

"The princess came back though. She had fallen in love with the beast but was unsure of her feelings. She denied her emotions and deemed them as mere pity. However, she continued to visit him everyday, leaving him tea by his door, but they never saw each other. A week before the thousandth day, the princess decided to finally confess her feelings. She was sure she loved him, loved him enough to save him."

The light from the sunset painted the story teller's silhouette a striking red. Okita's empty stare bore into Heiji's memory as the next words were spoken. "She ventured to the beast's room for the first time and found the disfigured man dead. He had already died from despair, just like his brother."

There was a mournful silence as the last traces of light disappeared into the horizon. It was Heiji who broke it.

"The princess was Kazuha."

Okita's eyes darkened. "She didn't speak for a year."

"A whole year?" Heiji asked, unable to imagine any dimension where a mute Kazuha existed.

"Not a single word to anyone. She just reappeared one day claiming to be a bounty hunter. She tries to be strong, but we could all tell she still carries the nobleman's death." Okita reached across his bed and a lamp flickered on. "Make sure she doesn't get carried away when you visit the witch," advised the musketeer. "She can be short tempered with them."

Heiji nodded stiffly. He felt like cracking inside. These things don't happen in real life. They don't happen to Kazuha. They're not supposed to, regardless of whatever world he was in. Heiji felt frustrated that he couldn't do anything to change things. He sat down beside the bed he had slept on and leaned his head back. He felt annoyed and useless just remembering the pained look on those emerald eyes. But this wasn't his childhood friend they were talking about. This didn't involve him.

He probably shouldn't mention anything to Kazuha2. She was right, it wasn't his any of his business.

The dark skinned teen sighed and closed his eyes. They snapped open immediately when he remembered one tiny detail that's been bothering him.

"Okita."

"Hn?"

"Why was Kuroba sleeping next to me?"

"..."

"..."

"Hei-chan, come back to bed," came the sleepy voice of Kaito.

**_BONK_**

**_CLANG_**

**_SMASH_**

"I was only kidding, Hattori! Put the sword down!"

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! Two chapters in one day! :D Hope ya'll enjoyed them and thanks for reading!


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